About
Rachel Carson, born in 1907 in Pennsylvania, was an American marine biologist and conservationist. Graduating from Pennsylvania College for Women and earning a master's in zoology from Johns Hopkins University, she worked for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, becoming the first woman to pass the civil service exam for junior aquatic biologist. She published an acclaimed sea trilogy, including 'The Sea Around Us' (1951), and then 'Silent Spring' (1962), which exposed the dangers of pesticides and sparked the modern environmental movement. Her work contributed to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the ban on DDT. She died in 1964 and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
* 1907-05-27 — † 1964-04-14
Major works
- Under the Sea-Wind (1941)novel
- The Sea Around Us (1951)non-fiction
- The Edge of the Sea (1955)non-fiction
- Silent Spring (1962)non-fiction
Key milestones
- 1936First woman to pass the U.S. Civil Service Test for junior aquatic biologist.
- 1952Won the National Book Award for 'The Sea Around Us'.
- 1962Publication of 'Silent Spring', which sparked the modern environmental movement.
Themes
Environmental conservationMarine biologyPesticide hazardsInterconnectedness of ecosystemsHuman responsibility towards nature
Sources: nps.gov · fws.gov · ncei.noaa.gov
